Film student finishes second in statewide competition

KALAMAZOO--A student in Western Michigan University's Film, Video and Media Studies Program has won second place in the College Broadcast Awards sponsored by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

Tyler Trierweiler of Portage, Mich., a major in the program, was recognized for his documentary "Skinny Dipping with the Fireflies," which explores a Michigan pastime and right of passage--summer camp.

The documentary chronicles the aftermath of an accident on Aug. 6, 1909, that claimed the life of Harris Eberhart, who was killed by a train while returning home from summer camp. A century later, his legacy lives on.

"Skinny Dipping with the Fireflies" takes viewers back to the camp where Harris spent his last summer alive. Viewers meet Allie, a 21-year-old college dropout who is unhappy with her love life and minimum-wage job, her fellow counselors and, of course, the campers, as they test the limits of innocence and discover what it means to be human.

In addition to his most recent award, Trierweiler also received a WMU College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Creative Activities Award for his documentary. The film also was screened locally at the Kalamazoo Film Festival, where it won first place.